WEEK FIVE - DONE

Gosh week five done already, cant believe it! 

Highlight - Finishing my solo 14 miler

Lowlight - Doing my solo 14 miler

Inspiration -   http://www.salvos.co.uk/enotecanunzia/art/index.php

My week day by day
Day 29 Monday 1st  February 2010

Still feeling pretty high today after yesterday’s race and although I’m tired as I didn’t sleep well I went for a recovery swim at lunchtime and manage 40 lengths in 30 mins. I felt quite wobbly when I got back to work, even after having something to eat. Hoping not pushed myself too much.

Day 30 Tuesday 2nd February 2010

Had lunch with one of my oldest work mates Pete and asked him if he was reading my blog, to which he replied well I’ve been looking at the photos! He thinks I have turned into an “Ex Addict” and doesn’t understand how I can find so much to say about running . . . neither do I! Any way sorry Peter if you just want to look at photos this week you will have to follow the link to Exhibition 365

Finally made it to the Abs class today, but only because Nicky said she would come with me! All I can say is if laughter helps develop your core muscles then this is the class for me because Nicky and I were in fits of giggles as we, or should I say, I, tried to copy the moves that the very flexible Miranda tried to teach us! I can see how it all works but give me a good old fashioned crunch (preferably a golden ginger crunch biscuit) any day!

I was looking forward to a good outdoor interval session as it is first Tuesday in the month. But as anyone who went to run club tonight will know it was very slippy and so I ran gingerly on the warm up, I was very anxious while running the intervals and I’m not sure if it was an after effect of Sunday cross country or the way I was running or just because I was tense but during one of the rest I suddenly got a very sharp pain up the inside of my foot and shooting up in to my lower leg. I could not put my heel down on the floor and so after only two intervals I limped back to the gym with Gill!

I’m sat now with my foot up and it still feels very painful. Have booked half days annual leave tomorrow to run a solo 14 miles and I’m not sure I will even be able to walk, I have heard reports of more snow tomorrow, I am more than a little worried. The cold has also set my tooth ache off which has started to bother me in the last few days so am going to take some Ibuprofen and go to bed miserable!

Day 31 Wednesday 3rd February 2010

My foot was much easier this morning but just felt – not normal – I go from deciding to rest to thinking no I must run as I won’t have another chance of getting 14 in this week, I post on face book, text and call friends in hope of getting guidance. Replies range from, probably best to rest, give it go but turn back if it hurts, to, only you know how it feels. That is the problem I don’t know how it feels, it just doesn’t feel right!! For the first time in 31 days I can honestly say I don’t want to do this run, it is filling me with dread! But by lunchtime my foot feels more normal and as I have my half day leave booked I decide I just have to take a deep breath and give it a go

After all Marathon Training is all about taking on challenges!

Even so it takes me an hour after I got home to get ready and psych myself up to get out of the door! Armed with a few gels, some money in case I get stuck and Trevor’s music on the I pod and I set off in the cold crisp afternoon air for my longest ever solo run. My legs ached the Garmin froze for a while, the zip on my coat went and would not fasten, Harp called to ask if it was snowing – Nope – legs still ached, hills felt like Mount Everest, a football song, (something about Leeds and a cup) the temp got colder, my nose was running faster than my legs and my legs still ached! Then to top it all it started to snow! By ten miles it was coming down fast and I was tired and cold but determined to run the full 14 miles but I couldn’t face running up another hill and the only way home was up a hill so I kept running along the ring road away from the warmth of my house turning back only when id done the 14 miles, this meant I had to walk another 10 minutes to get home!

Got home and just had time for a bath, grab something to eat before dashing up to Helen 365 Exhibition in aid of “Naomi's Fund”. It was lovely to see so many faces and particularly the gorgeous Mabeth whom I miss running with. Only problem was my legs ached so much I struggled to walk up and down the stairs and once or twice when I bent down to get a better look at a photo I had to ask Nicky to help pull me back up! I’m not sure why, maybe it was the run id just done, but I was very drawn to day 345 – footprints in the snow . Unfortunately I had to rush off to pick the kids up before I could study the whole exhibition or secure “day 345”

Just need to persuade someone to treat me to my tea at Salvos so that I can have another more leisurely look and hope that day 345 is still available! So come on someone – you know who you are!

In the end I was really glad I had done this run today, I’m no longer so frightened at the thought of doing long runs on my own. I prefer to run with others but I now know I can run on my own and once it was over I was left with a feeling that I had enjoyed it!

Am proud of myself but tired now and need to sleep. Night Night


You can find out more about Helens fantastic exhibition at Salvo's website below


http://www.salvos.co.uk/enotecanunzia/art/index.php

Below you can see Helen's photos but why not treat yourself to an evening out and go see the exhibition for yourself?

Album 1 Day 1 - 200


http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=86703&id=103659954791

Album 2 Day 201-365

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=94997&id=103659954791


Day 32 Thursday 4th February 2010

Its rest day, and boy do I need it! My legs ached just walking up stairs at work, walked to supermarket at lunchtime to loosen my legs off, bought a big bottle of flavoured water as don’t seem able to quench my thirst. Have a few hours to myself after work and debate about going to see Nicky for one of her amazing massages, or possibly to see my mum, but decide to pick kids up early and go home to just chill out. But the thing is with my kids they can be best of friends one night and the next.......Well it was one of them nights, all 3 of us were somewhat tired and world war 3 broke out when I asked them to help sort the clean clothes out!

Day 33 Friday 5th February 2010

I set my alarm early for spin but knew I was still too tired and skipped spin in favour of having a double rest day. On a Friday morning I attend a weekly team meeting, which just seem to get longer and longer I was sat in the same room for 5hours! I had taken fruit so I would not nibble on the biscuits but by 11am my fruit had all gone and I turned to the biscuits “Malted Milk” one of my favourites and well Milk is good for you isn’t it??? Must remember to take some proper lunch with me next week!

Adele has an early start with her dad tomorrow as she is playing in her second rugby tournament so I just have Daniel at home. I am tired and Daniel bless him makes some paella for our tea and then we just chill a bit. But unfortunately my evening ends up with me being very very very very cross about something and ranting to several friends on the phone!

Day 34 Saturday 6th February 2010

Here we go it’s the weekend again, had a restless night sleep and can tell it’s going to be one of those days when my porridge boils over in the microwave . . . . . twice!!! Daniels not feeling well so decided not to come to park run, I end up leaving late and didn’t have time to warm up. My anger spoils my run and I don’t run well but a post race hot chocolate and another good rant with the guys at the cafe have me feeling a little better! I don’t like feeling angry and cross it’s such a waste but everyone agrees I am justified in being cross this time! Daniel has requested a chocolate brownie, how ill can he feel? Head back home with a large piece of Helens Birthday chocolate cake to check he is ok, quick change (by the time I have changed the cake is gone) and I’m off to body pump as missed this on Wednesday. Not sure if it was because I was feeling fresh after 2 rest days or because I’m still angry but I increase my normal weight for the squats, lunges and triceps tracks forgetting that I have got a race tomorrow!

Day 35 Sunday 7th February 2010

Another early start! Alarm goes off at 6am, have slept well and feel refreshed, still takes a little time to get up. Manage to do a few chores and be ready for Harp as she picks me up at 7.45 and off to Dewsbury we go!

I have had a race for the last three weekends and so was thinking of this as a hard training run with lots of friends. I bumped into James N from work, whom has always being a much faster runner than me although I have been closing the gap gradually. He was saying that he hadn’t run since the abbey dash and thought I might beat him, yeah right!! Set off with Harp and Barbara C. It is good to see Barbara back in VARR racing colours as she hasn’t raced since last years Dewsbury 10k, but then she has been busy having her beautiful baby daughter! I ran for a while with Barbara who was “taking it steady” but I still was finding the pace challenging and struggled to return her conversation. Geoff joined us for a while chasing his first sub 60 10K and one by one all the VARR crew started to come back and the three of us were cheering our club mates on, I’m sure we got a few funny looks from other runners. I could see Harp and James ahead and soon Geoff and Barbara were also ahead. I checked my Garmin and I was maintaining sub 10min miles which for a training run I was very happy with! Just before we reached the turn round point I noticed that my legs had stopped aching but my breathing was hurting instead it was as if all the oxygen and blood had gone from my lunges and heart to my legs! Now what I like about Dewsbury is it is a very subtle hill on the way up which is followed by a lovely downhill on the way back! And as soon as we turned I felt more comfortable and started to gain on my mates, I passed Geoff who was doing brilliantly and could see that Barbara was now almost flying! But I seemed to be gaining on James, I thought wow I’m going to catch him and it kept me going, but as I got closer I realised I had been chasing some other guy in the same colour jacket and when I looked again James was still a long way in front. I kept reminding myself this was a training run not a race but even so I worked hard to close the gap between Myself and Harp. In the end Harp finished 10 seconds in front of me, Harp tells me no way is she going to let me catch her, but I can’t help but wonder if I hadn’t put that extra weight on in Body pump, well it might have been a different story!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
And Yes James, with just 56seconds the cross over is nigh - unless you try actually training for your next race!

Although I didn’t get a 10k PB it was a course PB and more importantly it is the third race in as many weeks that I have run completely from start to finish without walking a step.

Am beginning to think maybe I CAN DO this running thing after all!